Most motor vehicles today have vehicle dynamics controllers such as ESP installed, which support the driver in critical driving situations and stabilize the vehicle automatically. Known vehicle dynamics controllers usually perform a yaw rate control, wherein a target value for the yaw rate of the vehicle is calculated taking into consideration the steering wheel position, the vehicle speed, and other variables. In driving situations in which the measured actual yaw rate deviates too severely from the target yaw rate, for example because of the vehicle oversteering or understeering, an automatic braking or steering intervention is performed which stabilizes the vehicle again. As a result, the vehicle is guided to a trajectory whose radius is defined substantially by the driver through the steering wheel position.
Driving situations may arise in which the steering wheel position chosen by the driver is unfavorable. This is the case, for example, when the vehicle undergoes a yaw moment, due to an event such as a collision, as a result of which the travel direction of the vehicle changes. If the driver does not take countermeasures in such a situation, for example because of surprise or due to shock, the vehicle dynamics controller intervenes and stabilizes the vehicle. But the travel direction in which the vehicle is stabilized does not correspond to the original travel direction of the vehicle before the event occurred. If a vehicle is traveling, for example, on a straight roadway in a certain direction and is set in rotation about the vertical axis by an oblique rear-end collision, the vehicle dynamics controller intervenes and slows the yaw movement of the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle has stabilized, it moves on in accordance with the steering wheel position chosen by the driver. If the driver did not change the steering wheel position after the rear-end collision, the vehicle continues to move along a course that is rotated by a certain angle relative to the original direction of motion. After a time the vehicle leaves the roadway, which increases the danger of a secondary accident.